A Descriptive Card of Public Animals issued to Dr. Seth A. Hammel, Topeka, Kansas. This card was submitted by soldiers requesting permission to purchase their own horses for military service. It provided a general description, markings, and statements certifying the animal's soundness and suitability for military service. Hammel elected to purchase his personal mount when he served in the Kansas National Guard. During his military career, he was a hospital steward during the Spanish-American War with the 20th Kansas Regiment and spent 16 months in service including nine months in the Philippines. After the Spanish-American War, Hammel graduated from a medical school in Chicago, Illinois, and returned to Topeka, where he established a practice and taught at Washburn College. During World War I, he served with Ambulance Company 139 of the 35th Division. The Descriptive Card was issued when he was serving in a field hospital.